Serving as a gatekeeper or meditation timer is a lovely way to both deepen your own practice and support the sangha of fellow practitioners. These roles are vitally important to the function of our center, because they make group meditation possible. Shastri Sharon Keegan will provide training in timing and gatekeeping Sunday, Feb. 7, 12:30-2:30, … Continue →

By Elizabeth Kanard The Community Winter Practice Retreat (Dec. 24-31) at the Burlington Shambhala Center is an excellent time to create peace within oneself and to extend it to others. We all can get very busy in our lives, especially during the holiday season. This retreat is a beautiful opportunity to take time to give … Continue →

The Sakyong will lead a weekend event on Shambhala meditation from Halifax, Jan. 22-24, 2016. The Friday evening talk and Saturday program are open to the public. Sunday’s program is restricted to meditation instructors, ADs, and teachers, who are expected to attend the Saturday program, as well. The programs will be offered online for those … Continue →

By Martha Whitney and Trina Magi Tightness in the hips can make sitting meditation uncomfortable. “For a long time, I experienced pain in my upper back when I sat on the meditation cushion. When I started focusing on hip openers in my yoga practice, I noticed the back pain went away,” says Trina. What do … Continue →

By Martha Whitney and Trina Magi Many meditators experience back pain or discomfort, even if they’ve never had back trouble or a back injury. In Part 3 of this series, we share strategies for a happier back. “When I first started to meditate, I remember feeling discouraging discomfort in my upper back. Even with a … Continue →

By Martha Whitney and Trina Magi In our last column, we discussed what to sit upon and ways to make the sitting posture more comfortable. In Part 2, Burlington Shambhala Center member and yoga instructor Martha Whitney suggests two tools you can use to help ease the transition to sitting at the beginning of your … Continue →

By Martha Whitney and Trina Magi The purpose of meditation is to study and train our minds. But what if we’re not physically comfortable when we sit? Sometimes our minds create the urge to move or fidget or scratch, and it’s interesting to note the mind’s ability to do that. Other discomforts truly may be … Continue →

By Jim Koehneke This path is not unlike the road to Oz— where we discover what’s really behind the curtain. It’s a path to a new reality, a reality filled with love, peace, and joy, a path in which we discover, feel, and live from Basic Goodness. And it begins by our response to a … Continue →

By Larry Arasin Thank you to all who attended the Sunday Social Art Share on June 21and the Art Party on June 26. Both of these events were intended to raise the creative energy at the Shambhala Center. The range of artistic expressions shared this month is truly inspiring. Within the walls of the center … Continue →

By Charlotte Brodie QUESTION: What is the purpose of chanting, and why are there so many different chants? ANSWER: We do chants for a variety of reasons, using a variety of chants that are applicable at different times of the day or year. One reason is to help us transition between our everyday activities and … Continue →